Friday fictioneers – Bigness

“That’s an awful lot of water in one place,” he said, standing on the edge of the world and scanning the ocean. He wheeled, strode back into the hotel, and never returned to the seashore.

Instead, he built himself a pond, enclosed within the courtyard of his farmhouse. The water duplicated the sky, reflecting inverted trees. The low ramparts of the steading held chaos at bay. He was content.

“The ocean is very big,” he told his wife, “but we are also very big.”

Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here

Thanks. The sentiment is based on a friend from a small landlocked country who did once step onto a beach and say those words. I was so struck by them I’ve already used them once before in a completely different story

I love this story! Nicely done Neil! Maybe I’m putting my own experiences / life into what I’m reading here, but to me it doesn’t seem sad or tragic at all. To me, he seems to know what’s out there, he has experienced life, and he’s telling his wife that the two of them are big enough that they are all he needs. Again, could just be me, but this one really struck a chord.

That is EXACTLY what I thought when I first saw the ocean. Growing up in Denver, Co, the largest body of water I’d ever seen was the lake down the street. The vastness of it made me very uncomfortable for awhile. After living with the Pacific Ocean a mere ten steps away for three years changed my mind. Well written tale, Neil, I thoroughly agree with S.M. Peterson

This is a wonderful story Neil, it could almost be philosophy of man finding his place… vastness can be scaring, yet with water big enough you just have to look at the mirror of the sky and have the same.

Perhaps there are ocean people and pond people? Live and let live I say. I know I like to come home to my tiny manageable garden but enjoy the wide chaotic world outside it too.
Lots of interesting comments showing that prose can resonate as effectively as poetry. Great piece.